INEOS eyeing Man Utd move for “one-of-a-kind” Fernandes successor

There simply aren’t enough superlatives in the English dictionary to describe just how fantastic and irreplaceable Bruno Fernandes is at Manchester United.

Absolutely everything positive involves the Portuguese Magnifico somewhere down the line, and he’s truly the club’s saviour.

It’s not unreasonable to say that without the captain, Erik ten Hag would no longer be in a job, as he ranked first for goals, assists, and chances created at the Red Devils last season.

However, with Fernandes turning 30 years old this year, it may be the perfect opportunity for Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS to look for his successor.

Man Utd’s search for a young talent

According to a report from The Guardian, Man Utd are interested in signing talented youngster Desire Doue.

The young French player is on the radar of the Red Devils, as Ratcliffe looks to sign up-and-coming gems over big-name stars.

It’s said that the Rennes player will be available for £33.7m this summer, with their president knowing his departure won’t be too far around the corner.

However, unfortunately for United, plenty of teams across Europe are also keen, including Bayer Leverkusen, Paris Saint-Germain, and Arsenal.

Why Doue could become the perfect Fernandes successor

Although Doue’s talent is only truly becoming known as of late, the 19-year-old already enjoyed his breakthrough campaign in the 2022/23 season.

The versatile gem made 28 Ligue 1 appearances that year, starting 11 times, and picking up a relatively impressive four goal contributions.

However, his importance to Rennes became apparent last season, playing 31 times with 17 of them from the off in the league.

Progress had occurred, and there’s no better way to support that than his output, which increased to four goals and assists apiece, but what makes Doue a “one-of-a-kind” star, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson?

Firstly, the French ace is the definition of a technical mastermind who can genuinely do anything with the ball at his feet, which sounds rather similar to a certain United number eight.

Doue is a creator, a player who isn’t content with letting a game go by without his influence being felt, as shown by his key passes, passes into the penalty area, and shot-creating actions.

As displayed by his high progressive passes received, the number 33 is a master of linking the midfield to the attack, popping up in pockets where he can cause havoc, which shows he has the intelligence of a Fernandes-esque player.

Another attribute that Fernandes and Doue share is their ability to not just operate in multiple roles but also perform to the exact same standard, whether that’s as a winger, an attacking midfielder, or even a slightly more defensive number eight.

Yet what Doue already has in his locker over the former Sporting midfielder is that he’s pure “cinema,” as per Mattinson, when running with the ball, whether that’s taking players on with ease or driving into the heart of the defence with intent.

Nevertheless, in some ways, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Doue take on a role similar to what Phil Foden did while serving as an understudy to David Silva, and it’s common knowledge how that plan turned out – Foden named the Premier League Player of the Year for 2023/24.

Therefore, with the brilliance of Doue in mind, United simply must do all they can to beat the competition to his signature this summer, as he has the potential to become a world-class talent.